2016 A Year of Acceleration &

Growth in Online Learning

2016 Year in Review

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04

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Letter from OLC Leadership

Vision, Mission, Goals

Community Engagement

06 Conferences and Events

07 Development

08

09

10

11

13

Professional

Quality

Research

Leadership

Recognition

Strategic Partnerships

Policy

In this report..............................

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2016 Online Learning Landscape5.8 Million Students Enrolled in an Online Class Let's face it, online learning is becoming mainstream. And why not? This learning modality

provides ease of access, affordability, and inclusion for an evolving, growing higher education

population. Increased digital learning opportunities, such as learning analytics, competency-

based education, and adaptive learning are quickly being embraced by today's students and

allow for new learning methods to be adopted by institutions so that they can better serve

students.

More Than 63% of Academic Leaders Deem Online Learning Critical

In fact, 78% of institutions employing online education say it's absolutely critical to their long-

term strategy. Online learning continues to be embraced by academic leaders and faculty who

are focusing on pedagogical innovation, active learning approaches, as well as using adaptive

learning tools and technologies. But the ultimate drivers are today’s students, representing a

patchwork of ages, backgrounds, challenges, motivations, and income levels. It is an exciting

time to be part of OLC, as collectively we forge an affordable, accessible, and innovative future

for higher education.

SOURCE: Babson Survey Research Group, February 2016

of students feel technology helps teachers teach better...but 4-in-5 say universities and professors84%

McGraw Hill-Education , October 2015

could do more with technology to make their education better.

Online Learning is Here to Stay

A Letter from OLC’s Board President and CEOThe higher education landscape is changing at an accelerated pace, as is the adoption of online and digital learning. The student population is dramatically changing, too. This year we embrace an evolving contemporary learner. Not the traditional on-campus student but a growing adult learner population of over 14.9 million students, comprised of military, working mothers, caregivers, and an underserved student body over the age of 24 that have had to work a few years before they could afford their education. Many of these students are opting for online and blended programs that can be completed on their time, from wherever they are, as they juggle their personal, professional, and educational commitments. And, with that, many institutions are stepping up to respond to their needs.

EMPOWERING EDUCATORS EVERYWHEREAs the leading organization devoted to advancing quality online learning, OLC is pleased to offer our members professional development opportunities, best practice resources, research, publications, and just-in-time guidance on a wide variety of topics. For the past 25 years, through our conferences, quality learning opportunities, and ongoing support we’ve been an integral part of the swift, transformative growth of the higher education landscape, specifically as it pertains to online and blended learning, and innovative teaching and learning practices in these environments.

In 2016, we maintained long-standing partnerships, while forging new ones, with institutions and education providers to develop quality programs and help shape federal policy to ensure online learning success for all. In this report, we share some of these activities and look forward to continued acceleration and growth in the years to come.

SOURCE: NCES 2011

Marie Cini, Ph.D, OLC Board President, Provost and Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs, UMUC

Kathleen Ives, D.M., OLC Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director

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Our VisionSetting the global standard in online learning.

Our MissionCreating community and connections around quality online learning while driving innovation.

Our GoalsPrepare higher education leadership to successfully navigate the

complex and dynamic landscape of online learning.

Be recognized as the leader in providing professional

development to help member institutions and practitioners

achieve higher levels of student learning and success outcomes.

Become the go-to resource for delivering leading research and

expert insight of online learning trends, innovations, and effective

practices.

Increase the visibility, voice, and value of OLC to our members,

partners, sponsors, and those vested in online learning.

Build the organizational capacity and structure to meet the

current and future demands of OLC.

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With our vast geographic challenges, OLC membership provides a valuable way for our staff and faculty to engage in meaningful learning by connecting with colleagues globally.”

Pamela Wimbush, Director, Instructional Resource Center & Online Learning, Johns Hopkins University

As a member-sustained organization, OLC is committed to ensuring our members' online learning success. Membership with

OLC means being part of a global community

of online learning enthusiasts and practitioners

from over 14 countries. It means gaining direct

access to subject matter experts, training by

industry leaders, and receiving some of the

best professional development and networking

opportunities in the field.

MEMBERS SHARE THEIR STORIES

This year, when we reached out to OLC

members and asked them to reveal why they

joined OLC, they shared their excitement over

our quality programs, appreciated our faculty

development initiatives, and enthused about

great networking and collaboration

A COMMUNITY COMMITTED TO ONLINE LEARNING SUCCESS

opportunities. We showcased their stories via

downloadable case studies and videos that

propelled our membership forward. Year after

year, our community continues to grow: 117

institutions joined OLC in 2016 bringing our

ranks to more than 750 Institutional Members,

12,000 Professional Members and tens of

thousands of Community Members.

ENGAGING OUR COMMUNITYIn our continuing efforts to grow our

community, we established a dedicated

Community Engagement Division in 2016

designed to better understand the needs of our

current members. We also launched several

advisory groups to ensure our programs

continue to evolve and meet the growing—and

changing—needs of our membership. 5

“OLC is the conference that combines intellectuals, leaders, and innovators into one productive opportunity!”

Patricia Gonzalez, Director of e-Learning,University of North Carolina at Wilmington

CONNECTING 1000s OF ONLINE LEARNING PROFESSIONALS

Our Conferences provide premium opportunities to network, discover, and share views on online learning, emerging technologies, and best practices for blended learning, bringing

together thousands of online learning professionals face-to-face and virtually. We've come a

long way since we held our very first conference in Orlando over 24 years ago but we're still

focused on the same mission to advance quality online learning in higher education.

EXC EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONSThis year, in keeping with the accelerated pace at which online learning is evolving, our Annual

Online Learning Consortium International Conference was renamed and rebranded as OLC

Accelerate. Additionally, we launched a new annual event with MERLOT, OLC Innovate, which

merged our Emerging Technologies and Blended Learning Conferences. We are proud to say

both conferences exceeded expectations for attendees, sponsor, and exhibitor participation.

GETTING LOCALFor the second consecutive year, we continue to connect learning professionals at local events

across the country. Thanks to many of our Institutional Members who hosted our one-day OLC

Collaborate events, we had three sessions tackling hard-hitting subjects that impact regional

schools in unique ways. Topics have included textbook affordability, learning analytics,

competency-based education, blended learning, and more. Appreciation goes out to California

State University, University of Central Florida, Nevada State College as well as the University of

Nevada – Las Vegas for helping us make those connections possible.

The biggest advantage of membership is OLC's professional development opportunities which enable our staff to continue to develop their expertise and to create better learning opportunities for our students.”

ACCELERATING & AUGMENTING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

2016, we launched an OLC Mastery Series for

Instructional Design. Due to the popularity of

the Mastery series, as well the allure of our

Certificate programs, we were certain that

instructional designers would also benefit

from an in-depth certificate program

designed exclusively for them. It was exciting

to watch enrollment exceed capacity before

year’s end.

QUALITY PROGRAM DEVELOPMENTAlso, we realized administrators needed

support to improve their online higher

education programs. To that end, we created

a Mastery Series focusing on the OLC Quality

Scorecard, a tool which helps online

administrators evaluate and improve digital

education programs by measuring programs

against best practice indicators of quality.

While the OLC Institute for Professional Development features over 100 workshops each year, our focus continues to be on

designing quality programs that meet the

growing demands of higher education

professionals at all levels. This year, we rolled

out six new workshops to meet that need.

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT & BEYONDWe are proud to note that more than 3,250

professionals attended the Institute this year.

We're also thrilled to share the fact that over 270

faculty members signed up for our Online

Teaching Certificate program – one of our most

popular programs which is now ten years old!

While many of our programs focus on the needs

of faculty, we reached out to our members this

year to discover their additional professional

development requirements. That’s why in early

Dr. Pratima Dutta, Director of Distance Learning, CSUN Tseng College

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At OLC, quality is always at the forefront of everything we do. That's why hundreds of

institutions have turned to us to ensure their

learning programs meet the highest quality

standards, leveraging our OLC Quality Scorecard

for the Administration of Online Programs.

CRITERIA FOR EXCELLENCEThe Scorecard has been used by our member

institutions to demonstrate elements of quality

—and identify areas of improvement—within a

program. It also serves as a tool to accurately

present overall levels of quality to higher

education accrediting bodies.

QUALITY GUIDELINES FOR ALLIn 2016, we launched a robust suite of Quality

Scorecards to provide institutions with the

necessary criteria and benchmarking tools to

ensure learning excellence for the entire

institution. Now, faculty, instructional designers,

as well as administrators can confirm that their

THE VOICE FOR STANDARDS - QUALITY EXPANSION

course design, teaching and instructional practice,

digital courseware, and blended learning programs

meet the highest global standards for quality, are

grounded in research, and incorporate expert,

peer-led best practice guidance.

INTRODUCING THE QUALITY SCORECARD SUITE

The OLC Quality Scorecard serves as

a national baseline to show us how we

benchmark against online learning

best practices.”

Mark Porcaro. Executive Director of Online Learning, Wichita State University

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RESEARCH EFFORTS DEDICATED TO DIGITAL LEARNING

In 2016, we launched the OLC Research Center for Digital Learning and Leadership, fortified by OLC proprietary and partner research materials. Our focus is to increase

visibility of OLC through exclusive research, publications, and research partnerships. We also

created integrated learning opportunities through our blog, surveys, webinars, and case studies.

Some research highlights included our continued partnership with the Babson Survey Research

Group on the annual distance learning survey and collaborations with Cal Poly and the

University of Virginia. Additionally, OLC was commissioned by the Distance Education

Accrediting Commission and Presidents' Forum to conduct a research study focused on

alternative credentials, and the Texas Learning Consortium to define student engagement in

blended environments.

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF ONLINE LEARNING (OLJ)Not only did our peer-reviewed journal, Online Learning, celebrate its 20th year in publication,

we hit another milestone this year producing our largest number of issues to date. Topics

included learning analytics, OLC conferences, and a collaboration with the American Education

Research Association Online Learning SIG, as well as a special anniversary issue. As our

publication has grown these 20 years, in 2016 we expanded our advisory board, as well.

OLJ leadership participated in the EDEN RW9 Editors’ Panel and a new OLJ Panel at OLC

Accelerate. We also held our first annual graduate research session at the conference, which will

carry forward in 2017.

OLC helps connect us to valuable resources, research, and peers who understand our desire to create, maintain, assess, and deliver high-quality online courses and programs. ”

Dana R. Willett, Director, Office of Distance and Extended Learning, Texas State University

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OLC serves as a catalyst for online and digital learning leadership to connect, learn, and excel. Since its inception in 2006, the Institute for

Emerging Leadership in Online Learning (IELOL) has

advanced the leadership skills of 325 higher

education professionals. IELOL is a unique blended-

learning leadership development program jointly

sponsored by Pennsylvania State University and the

Online Learning Consortium.

DEVELOPING EMERGING LEADERSNow in its ninth year, IELOL serves the development

needs of emerging leaders responsible for a variety

of online learning initiatives. Participants connect

and network with colleagues from around the

world, with graduates joining a growing network of

leaders in higher education. In 2016, the program

produced a record number of emerging leaders: 52

IELOL graduates.

IELOL is one of the best

professional development

experiences I’ve had in

the 20-plus years I’ve

been in higher education.

Rock solid content and

amazing faculty!”

FOCUSED ON LEADERSHIP AT ALL LEVELS

TAKING THE LEAD TOGETHERWith a direct focus on building a network of senior

online learning leaders, OLC held its inaugural

convening of the Leadership Network at the OLC

Accelerate conference. During the one-day

leadership summit, nearly 100 participants

addressed some of the biggest online learning

challenges we collectively face in higher education.

Feedback was extremely positive, and many noted

that they valued the combination of speakers,

working with peers in small groups, and advanced

networking opportunities. The day ended in a

highly interactive panel-discussion in which they

shared key insights, trends and leadership

direction unearthed during the full-day event. This

online learning senior leadership convening will

now become a staple event at all of our

conferences in 2017.

Brian Udermann, Director of Online Education, University of Wisconsin-La Cross

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For more than 15 years, OLC has recognized individuals for outstanding work in the field of online education through its annual awards. In

2016, we recognized 16 Effective Practice Awards for

members who have shared innovative techniques,

strategies, and practices in online education (see next

page for complete list.)

A PROFESSIONAL DISTINCTIONIn 2010, we began recognizing select OLC members as

OLC Fellows. This is a professional distinction

recognizing extraordinary contributions or leadership

in online learning conferred upon by the OLC Board of

Directors.

Honored in 2016 was Robbie Melton, Ph.D., Associate

Vice Chancellor of eLearning, Mobilization and

Emerging Technologies for the Tennessee Board of

Regents and Jennifer Richardson, Ph.D., Associate

Professor, Learning Design and Technology, Dept. of

Curriculum and Instruction at Purdue University.

RECOGNIZING & REWARDING INNOVATION

DIGITAL LEARNING INNOVATIONThanks to a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation, we held our first awards program to

support the use of digital courseware.

The Digital Learning Innovation Awards (DLIA aim

to advance the adoption of digital courseware by

recognizing institutions who have improved student

success, especially among minority, first generation,

and other underrepresented student groups.

Of the more than 110 institutions and faculty-led

teams who completed their submissions, three

institutions and five faculty-led teams were

identified as having exceptional implementations

that identify student outcome improvements, and

that could inform and scale to other institutions (see

sidebar.) The awards were presented to honorees by

former U.S. Under Secretary of Education Martha J.

Kanter, Ed.D., during the OLC Accelerate conference,

in Orlando.

We have to make a promise to educate this

generation of students, and the next, and the next.

You are the innovators. You are the technology

leaders. You know how it works today and you're

ready for how it's going to change tomorrow.”

Martha J. Kanter, Civic Nation & Distinguished Visiting Professor and Senior Fellow at NYU, Former Under Secretary of Education

$100,000 Institutional Awards

$10,000 Faculty-led Team Awards

"Applied Learning Experiences in an Online Accelerated Degree Completion Nursing Program: The Leadership and Management Practicum" by Beth Oyarzun and Elizabeth Gazza, University of North Carolina Wilmington

"Building Hyper-Bonded Communities in a Virtual Environment and Its Relation to Student Persistence" by Chelsea Barnett, M.Ed., Project Manager, Institutional Research, and Kurt Gunnell, Ph.D., Director, Institutional Research, Western Governors University

"Enhancing Cognitive Presence in Online Case Discussions with Question Based on Practical Inquiry Model" by Ayesha Sadaf, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Larisa Olesova, George Mason University

"Fostering Sustained, Authentic Learning Among Tomorrow’s Obstetric and Gynecological Sonographers in a Fully Online Postgraduate Course” by Nayana Parange, University of South Australia

“Improving Student Learning of College Biochemistry Using Simulations” by Maurizio Costabile, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, School of Pharmacy and Medical Science, University of South Australia

“Log In to Learn—And Change the World” by Lee Ann Dickerson, Faculty, and Margot McGowen, Student Success Coach, Jefferson Community & Technical College

“Multiple Programming Language Introduction Programming Course” by Michael Brown, Tommy Bennett, and Lewis Williams, UMUC

“Online Learning in an Engineering Course” by John M. Long, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering, Deakin University

“Pathway to Quality Online Education at University of Houston – Clear Lake” by Shanta Goswami Varma and Henry Newkirk, University of Houston – Clear Lake

“Project-Based, Competency-Based Curriculum Design at College for America at Southern New Hampshire University” by Heidi Wilkes, DLP, Senior Director, Curriculum and Assessment Development, and Kaitlin LeMoine, Assistant Director, Curriculum and Assessment Development, College for America at Southern New Hampshire University

“Retrofitting and Proactivity for Accessibility in Online Courses” by Erin Blauvelt, M.Ed., Multimedia Instructional Designer, and Kimberly Barss, M.S., Instructional Designer, Center for Online Education, Learning & Academic Services, Excelsior College

“Student Success Toolbox for Flexible Learners: Supporting Transitions from Thinking about Study to the First Weeks” by Mark Brown, James Brunton, Ann, Cleary, Eamon Costello, Loraine Delaney, Seamus Fox, Jennifer, Lisa O’Regan, and Jamie Ward, Dublin City University, Maynooth University, Dundalk Institute of Technology, and Institute of Technology Sligo

“The Technology Test Kitchen” by Frank Tomsic, Phylise Banner, Clark Shah-Nelson, Angela Gunder, Ann Musgrove, Jessica Knott, Robbie Melton, Bethany Bovard, and Dave Goodrich

“The Walden Junto Model: Supporting Faculty Communities of Practice” by Laurie Bedford, Ph.D., Faculty Specialist, Faculty Initiatives and Center Support, and Laurel Walsh, MFA, Ed.D., Executive Director, Center for Faculty Excellence, Walden University

“Virtual Assistance Labs and Just-in-Time-Online Proactive Feedback: Reducing Statistics Anxiety in Graduate Students” by Carla Thompson, Ed.D., Professor, Research and Advanced Studies, University of West Florida

“Walden University Writing Center Interactive Modules: Student Writing Support Any Time, Anywhere” Beth Nastachowski, MA, Manager of Multimedia Writing Instruction, Writing Center Contributing Faculty, Academic Skills Center, Walden University

OLC 2016 EFFECTIVE PRACTICE AWARD RECIPIENTS

PARTNERING FOR ONLINE LEARNING SUCCESSOLC could not excel in the field of online learning without the relationships we’ve developed over the years. While too numerous to highlight them all, these

partnerships are instrumental to our success in 2016 and beyond.

WITH A FOCUS ON QUALITYWorking closely with SUNY, we've expanded our Institute offerings with a new

Instructional Designer Certificate and have included their course level OSCQR rubric as

part of the Quality Scorecard Suite. Also, in collaboration with Tyton Partners, we

released the Courseware in Context (CWiC Framework) designed to help postsecondary

decision-makers make informed selections of digital courseware products.

DEVELOPING RESOURCES FOR ALLIn partnership with Drexel University, we've established community access to its

“Virtually Inspired” website, featuring high-quality videos showcasing how educators are

using the latest technologies to invent the future of connected learning.

In support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Postsecondary Success Initiative,

which focuses on increasing the success of underrepresented students in Higher Ed,

we've partnered and collaborated with a number of organizations including EdSurge,

the New Media Consortium, Tyton Partners, Intentional Futures, Mindwires, SRI, and

APLU.

Through our partnership, even more professionals and institutions will have access to high quality professional development opportunities focused on the latest trends and established best practices in higher education.”

Kim Scalzo, Executive Director, Open SUNY at State University of New York

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We must invest in adult learners to meet our country’s need for skilled workers. This coalition will help advance the adult learner agenda and we are proud to be a part of it.”

REPRESENTING ONLINE LEARNING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL

and national economy. Together, the founding

members represent more than 1,000 higher

education institutions throughout the United

States that have long been leaders and

innovators in expanding opportunities for

today's contemporary learners.

A SHARED VOICE FOR EDUCATION POLICY The Coalition will promote policies that align

post-secondary education and America’s

workforce development goals to produce

better outcomes and access for the new

majority. We believe our coalition fills a void in

the higher education policy establishment

which, until now, lacked a unified voice

representing the adult learner and the

institutions and programs that serve them.

AT OLC, we realize policy must change to meet today's learner. That's why we aligned

with three other like-minded associations to

serve as a cohesive voice advocating for adult

students and the institutions that serve them.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS Together with support from Lumina Foundation,

the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning

(CAEL), the Presidents' Forum, and University

Professional and Continuing Education

Association (UPCEA) we formed the National

Adult Learner Coalition.

The Coalition’s mission is to advance the adult

learner agenda to expand post-secondary

education and credentialing opportunities that

will strengthen our communities, regions,

Pamela Tate, President and CEO, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning

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For more information, visit www.onlinelearning-c.org

The Online Learning Consortium is the leading professional

organization devoted to advancing quality online learning providing

professional development, best practice publications, and

guidance to educators, online learning professionals, and

organizations around the world.

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